


No Ordinary Love

by shimefuan



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: College AU, Crossdressing, F/M, M/M, fem!Niall
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-06-02 23:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6588430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shimefuan/pseuds/shimefuan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Things are not always what they seem…</i>
</p><p>The basic life lesson that Zayn learned after his heart knocks on his door, making him to fall in love with no less than an effeminate blonde crossdresser.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Moving Day

****

  


** NIALL POV **

White, puffy clouds scatter all over the blue sky, giving the radiant yellow sun rays shining down on the big campus of St. Charles University. This is a private school governs by powerful and influential people. Getting in will take some kind of miracle. And by miracle, I mean, a massive amount of multiple donations.

“You know, the boxes wouldn’t move by itself,” I snap away from my thoughts, hearing my best friend, Sophia, talking to me as she tries to haul her own boxes. We are moving to our own sorority house. It’s still a mystery on how we got in, but I’m still thankful that we did.

“Sorry,” I chuckle as a response. Still, my mind is still being plagued by a memory from the past. Although, high school feels like a million years ago and yet I cannot forget the misery that I have to go through. With all these depressing thoughts in my mind, I force myself not to dwell on it. This is the new beginning.

The college will be a new experience for me, and I intend to thoroughly enjoy it, at least as much as I can.

Before I forget anything else, my name is Niall. Niall Horan, to be exact. I’m born Irish but raised in America—a New Yorker to be exact. My life is not that fabulous, but I’m glad I have a good family and a great group of friends, not that I’m complaining or anything. There is one thing you should know about me…

I’m a crossdresser.

I identify myself as a female but I’m still a male. I know that doesn’t make any sense. Just think of me as another version of _Caitlyn Jenner_ except that I’m more beautiful. And my best friend knows about my situation. It’s not a big deal to her. From time to time, she makes a joke that I’m more of a girl than her, which I find it very hilarious. In all honesty, she might be right. I like dressing up in pastel colors; I like girly things such as _Hello Kitty_ , scrapbooking, shopping, and much more.

Although, from time to time, I still get disgusting looks from people, making me feel like some kind of a freak because of my lifestyle. I try my best not to let it get to me, but I’m only human, and there’s only so much I can take. It’s not like I ask to be like this but at the end of the day, I have to love myself for being like this because I am born this way. Kudos to my music goddess, _Lady Gaga_.

“How about if we take some tour around campus?” Sophia suggests, stretching her achy, swollen feet on her bed.

“Aren’t you gonna wait for Liam first?”

“I should but he’s not responding to my messages,” she frowns.

I have known Sophia and Liam since middle school. They are like those power couple that everyone adores. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but sometimes I can’t help but feel envy of those two. They have everything. I wonder when will get to have that kind of feeling. I thought I had that until… Never mind, it’s better not to dwell on the past.

“Maybe he’s just busy, you know. It’s moving week, arranging housing assignments. I’m sure he’s preoccupied as we speak. Don’t be so paranoid, Soph.”

“I guess you’re right. Let’s get change and I’ll surprise him then.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

*****

** ZAYN POV **

“Hey, careful with that!” I hiss at the movers, not being careful with the furniture. Since it’s the first day of college, I thought I should start anew. With no parents telling me what to do, I am absolutely free. No one will dictate me anymore! And that means I can get drunk and get wasted for the rest of my life.

“Someone is getting their OCD,” I turn around to see my friend, Liam, grinning at me.

“Shut up!”

“Really, Zayn, I’m glad that you let me share the loft with you.”

“Hey, don’t get girly on me,” I mock, teasing Liam for getting teary eyed on me. Liam and I have a long history together since primary school. We’re like those peas in a pod, completely inseparable, but we lose contact after primary school then we got reunited in the Facebook couple of months ago after high school graduation. I am more than ecstatic that we are going to the same school, and that’s when I invited him to stay with me. I’m sure we can bring back the mischievousness we did back then.

“Shut up, I’m trying to be grateful he—Hello?” Liam quickly answers his phone. My ears perk up as I hear him giggle like a school girl, assuming that he’s talking to his special someone. “Really? Aww, I miss you too.”

Ugh! Can’t this day get any worse? And when did Liam turn into a softie?

“Of course, I’ll see you there,” Liam beams; his brown eyes radiate with so much enthusiasm that it kind of freaks me out.

“Who is it?” I dare to ask even though I already know the answer to my own question.

“Come on, Zayn. Tell the movers to come back later. I have to see my girl in twenty minutes.”

“No, you go ahead, man. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Meet me at Starbucks near the campus, okay?”

“Sure.”

*****

** NIALL POV **

Pondering my thoughts away as I wait for my order to get a call. College is an exploring journey, at least that’s what I heard what other people are saying and yet I couldn’t convince myself to move on from what happened before.

I shake my head, forcing myself not to think about the bad experience that happened to me. And I cringe as soon as I see my best friend and her boyfriend making out at our shared table.

“Could you guys not do that?” I mock. “For God’s sakes, it’s broad daylight!”

“Sorry…” Liam apologizes, pulling away from Sophia. “It’s just I missed my girlfriend so much.”

“Aww, _sweetcheeks_ … You’re the best.”

“No, you’re the best.”

“Absolutely, you’re the one really best—”

“Okay, I get it! Everyone’s the best!” I snap. “Yada yada yada…” I roll my eyes out, not out of frustration. I guess I’m a little bit jealous that Sophia gets everything right and for me, screw up keeps raining down on me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my bestie and all, but I want nicer things too.

“What’s gotten into you, _sis_?” Sophia questions. “Is this about—”

“Don’t even mention his goddamn forsaken name!” I raised my finger, letting out my pent up anger.

“Ooohhh, Sophia, babe. Don’t poke the bear,” Liam jokes but instantly retorts back when I throw him a deathly glare. “Okay, I’ll shut up…”

“You two messing with my head,” I sigh in disappointment. At the end of the day, they’re still my friend. It’s still a wonder to me on how they can tolerate my mood swings and everything. “Before I explode here, I think I’m gonna wait for my order to get called.”

“Good call.”

With that, I left our shared table and wait nearby the waiting station. As I stand there, my mind wanders again for God knows how long and when I snap my thoughts away, my blood boils in rage when I see some guy take my order and take a sip in my coffee.

** ZAYN POV **

“Hey you, _punkass_! What the hell are you doing?” I blink twice, totally startled by this girl who keeps yelling at me. As a response, I stare her down from head to toe, and she gets offended.

“I’m drinking coffee. This is what you do in a coffee shop.” I see her narrowing her striking blue eyes. I could imagine that she wants to butcher me and sell my internal organs to the black market.

“What did you just say?!”

“What, are you deaf now?” I stand my ground. Her entire face turns red out of embarrassment as the people around us are starting to notice how I slay her sorry ass. “Some people are just stupid, you know. I guess the saying are true that blondes are actually dumb…”

Predicting on what she’s going to do, I quickly take some steps back as she attempts to slap me. She loses her balance and found herself onto the ground.

“And klutz too,” I cackled as I leave her and starts to walk away but before I could take another step, I hear a threat coming from her.

“You’d better not show yourself to me next time because I will personally end you…”

 


	2. Hostile

**ZAYN POV**

This day couldn’t get any worse after dealing with a bitchy blonde girl. At least, someone has to teach her a lesson. Those types of people I cannot deal with—thinking they are better than everybody. I absolutely loathe entitled people.

With my cup of coffee in my hand, my brown eyes scan the entire area, trying to find Liam and catch up with him. It didn’t take much time until I spot them… making out in one corner. Ugh, gross!

“I… uh… You do realize that people are staring, right?” I ask as the couple pulls away from one another. Reddened cheeks are messing with their own fair complexion. Needless to say that they are both embarrassed by their public indecency.

“Sorry…” Liam chortles, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Nice of you to show up, Zayn.”

“I already told you that I would catch up.”

“Anyways, this is Sophia, my girlfriend,” Liam introduces. I smile and wave at the beautiful girl. I must say that Liam knows how to pick girls. But then, she has this unusual look on her face. She is staring at my cup.

“You want some?” I offer politely.

“Uh… no thanks…” Sophia chuckles stiffly. “Why do you have Niall’s cup?”

“What?” I ask as my brows furrowing in confusion, completely lost with Sophia’s words. Who the hell is Niall? And when I look at my cup, there it is… I realize that I pick the wrong cup order. Geez! I remember that blonde girl that I encounter earlier…

“What did I just tell you!” A thundering voice blasts through my face and as a result some saliva splatters on my face. “You have the nerve to take my seat!”

“What’s happening?” Liam asks, panicking as the surrounding people are staring at them.

“This fucker took my cup then push me to the ground!”

“Whoa! First, I didn’t push you,” I defend, my eyes widening in shock of the false accusation. “And secondly, it was an honest mistake taking your cup.”

“Honest mistake?! Are you fucking kidding me!” The veins in her temples are pulsating hard to the point that she could have an aneurysm as we speak. “Ugh! Can you even read? The name on the cup is my name. N-I-A-L-L. What are you some kind of idiotic caveman?”

Okay, that’s it! I can’t take this humiliation any further. Even though she is a girl, I wouldn’t hesitate to punch her.

“Whoa! Whoa! Everybody calm down!” Liam position himself between me and the fury blonde girl. “You guys are making a scene.”

“You know this idiot?” The blonde girl asks Liam as she glares at me.

“He’s my friend.”

“Your friend?” The blonde girl gasps, making it look like an insult to me, and I understand it clearly. “Liam, you need some better friend, unlike this caveman.”

“I’m not a caveman!” I defend, standing my ground as I stare back at her striking blue eyes. “My name is Zayn!”

“I’m not asking,” the blonde girl taunts me by raising one of her eyebrows. I’m almost positive that she is daring me to make myself like a fool in front of the public. Well, I’m not going to give her that satisfaction. “What kind of name is that? Oh wait, fitted for a caveman.” She cackles, making my blood boils in rage.

My eyes narrowed, visualizing throwing imaginary daggers at her. Ugh! This girl is despicable! I’m not really a type of person who gets riled up easily, but she does it as I am a light switch that she can turn on instantly…

“What are you lookin’ at?”

“Oh, nothing,” I shrug off. “Just thinking of ways on how to kill you.”

“Zayn!” Liam elbowed me on the side. Obviously, it is a joke, but it seems like that it’s misinterpreted. I see Niall holding her breath together. At least, I’m having an effect on her.

“It was a joke,” I respond. “No need to get all serious on me.”

“I’m outta here!”

“Niall wait—” Sophia stands from her seat, following Niall out of the store. And when both girls are out of sight, I sense a dark glare coming from Liam.

“What?”

“What do you mean, what?”

“Those are my friends, Zayn.”

“So?” I ask, pushing my back on the chair as I study his facial expression. It is evident that I’m a little bit rude to _his_ bitchy, dumb friend.

“Zayn, you need to be more careful about this. You could get into trouble.”

“My family owns the school. I could do whatever I want.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to say, Zayn,” Liam sighs but my mind is all made up that Niall is going to be my mortal enemy for the next four years of my life. I made a promise to myself that I’m not going to let her walk all over me.

_If only I knew that a girl like Niall would mean so much to me…_

 


	3. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a long time; sorry about that because I've been busy. But fortunately, I have some free time for now, and that's why I'm going to post another update. My exams are not done yet, but I'll be free after May 16th.
> 
> Have fun reading this and hopefully you'll like this chapter. I think you do because... just read the damn thing lol.

**** Third Person POV ** **

It’s been four weeks since Zayn meets Niall through an unfortunate incident. Ever since that day, Zayn always teases or mocks the blonde on every single little thing—from her clothing to her food choice, and much more—which riled up Niall that made Zayn a little bit _happier_. The reactions he receives from the annoyed, irritated blonde is too priceless, at least for him.

Not until this day that everything will change…

**** ZAYN POV ** **

There is something weird today; I can feel it in my gut. Usually, I don’t believe in these things or whatever you call it, but I’m really having a bad feeling today.

As usual, being the third wheel has been my role since the grabby couple is in my vicinity and that’s exactly what we are. While the couple is too busy pinching each other’s cheek, I made myself busy by looking at my phone.

Where the hell is Niall? She should be here, entertaining me with her explosive temper. Well, I kind of like the reaction from her every time that I would insult her. The expression on her face is completely worth it. Her pale, white complexion turning into red, as those striking blue eyes are fueled with rage and fury.

I smile, shaking my head at the thought of seeing Niall getting pissed off again at me.

“What are you smilin’ at?” Liam asks; his brown eyes are telling me that I should spill before something bad could happen.

“Oh, nothing…” The grin shows up on my face. I really couldn’t help it.

But then, at one corner of my eye, I saw something familiar—it’s Niall. The smile on my face widens even further, but it instantly fades away when I see her walking next to a _guy_. Let me tell you something, the fact that she’s smiling at him makes me really mad. I don’t like it at all!

“Who the hell is that?” I ask, hiding the growl under my voice. The couple turns around to see what I’m seeing.

“That’s Louis,” Sophia answers. “He’s in our Econ class.”

  
  


“You’re taking Economics?” Liam asks, sounding a high-pitched tone. Then, he coughs to stabilize his voice. “I thought you’re a science major. Why are you taking Econ?”

“Well, I thought about switching to Business,” Sophia answers with doubt in her mind.

“Enough of that!” I snap. “I wanna know who the hell is this Louis person. Why is he sticking to Niall like a freaking snail?”

“Okay, somebody is in a foul mood,” Sophia mocks, putting her hands in the air. “I think someone forgot to take their psych meds.”

“I’m not crazy!”

“Okay, fine. Geez!” Sophia says. “As I’ve said, he’s in our Econ class, and I think he’s on a varsity team or whatever. I don’t know which sports yet because he’s always carrying this gym bag with him all the time.”

The vein in my temple pulsates in rage seeing Niall having heart eyes on Louis. For an unexplainable reason, I want to grab my chair so I can have something to throw at him. Niall giggles on everything that Louis is saying, I feel like they’re provoking me on purpose.

“That’s why I told him to take a hike…” Louis says. Within seconds, Niall cackled as if there’s no tomorrow. How come she is so smitten with this guy? He is nothing but regular to me, no unique talents whatsoever. My vengeful thoughts came to a stop when I feel Liam elbowing me on the side, mouthing me words, “Why are you glaring at them?” But I decided to ignore him and focus instead on how to divert Niall’s attention towards me.

“So are you guys dating or something?” I asked daringly with my face devoid of any emotions. Instantly, I get the reaction I’m expecting from Niall while Louis is totally not expecting by my question. I could see from Niall that she wants to stab me right at this moment, and I couldn’t help but grin from the inside. The feeling of shaking someone’s confidence is the best feeling ever!

Observing from Louis, I could tell that he doesn’t want to answer the question so I decided to probe some more.

“You know, if you decided to date Niall, make sure you have a thick wallet because this girl…” I point the fuming girl in front of me. “She has a very big appetite. As a matter of fact…” A smug appears on my face, crossing my arms over my chest. “She devoured seven extra-large cheeseburgers within minutes.”

“Zayn!” Liam reprimands me, noticing the disgust look from Sophia and Niall.

“What?” I respond nonchalantly.

“You're rude.”

“I didn’t know that telling the truth is a bad thing,” I answer nonchalantly. The happiness fluttering inside of me is one of a kind as soon as I see the turn off expression on Louis, which means I did my deed of the day.

“Uh… I forgot that I have to do something…” Louis says, trying the best of his ability to avoid the pair of blue eyes looking at him. “I’ll see you at class.” Within moments, Louis flees as if an infectious disease is going to run him down.

“H-how co-could you do th-that…” Niall sniffs; her blue eyes sparkle with tears. Somehow, I feel sorry, but a part of me is a relief because I know that Louis guy will not be hovering around at Niall.

“You’re such a dick!” Sophia growls. It is easy to tell that she is pissed off at me, but I really don’t care. Her opinion doesn’t matter to me just because she’s dating my best friend. “Come on, Niall. Let’s leave…”

“Wait, Sophia—” Liam panics, stretching his arms to reach out for his girlfriend but Sophia just slaps his hand. “Leave us alone!”

It didn’t take that long until the two girls are out of our sight and when it does, I could feel the deathly glare coming from Liam as if he wanted to stab me with a kitchen knife.

“What?”

“I swear, Zayn if this stupid stunt of yours cost me my relationship…”

“Hey, don’t get pissy at me,” I raise my hand in the air as a mocking gesture. “I’m just telling the truth that Niall eats a lot. I’m just giving Louis what he should expect.”

“That’s none of your business!”

“Actually, it is,” I say. The feeling of irritation is creeping up on me all of a sudden. “Niall pays me all her attention then all of a sudden, one day this one guy takes away all of that. And I fucking don’t like it!”

“Why would that bother yo—” Then, I notice the gasp escaping from Liam; his brown eyes widening in shock as if he realizes something that makes me nervous. “I see…”

“See what?”

“Now, I understand why you don’t like Louis hanging around Niall.” There is a widening grin spreading across on Liam that annoys me a lot.

“And what would that be?”

“Because you have the hots for Niall.”

“Whaaattt?!?!” I screech, looking at Liam as if horns are growing on his forehead. How could he suggest such a thing? There is no way in hell that I have a thing for Niall. “What are you talking about?”

“You have a _crushie wushie_ on Niall,” Liam coos, making me more irritated as his voice seeps into my ear.

“Fuck no! I don’t even like blondes!” I defend. “I like brunettes.”

“As a matter of fact, Niall is not naturally blonde. She’s a brunette,” Liam grins.

“Wha—You know what, I don’t have time for this nonsense talk.” With that, I turn around, walking away from my idiotic best friend, insisting that I have the hots for the girl that I like to tease and mock all the time. But before I could make another step, I heard Liam raising his voice.

“You can deny all you want, Zayn. Just admit that Niall is working inside your heart!”

*****

It has been several hours since Liam taunts me and here I am in my bedroom staring at the ceiling as those words keep replaying in my head. The idea of me having special feelings towards Niall is just plain stupid. I don’t like her at all, that’s for sure, but the more I ponder, the more I thought of Niall.

No, erase! Erase! Erase! I can’t think of Niall that way! She’s just a toy that I like to play with, that’s all. I keep telling myself that she meant nothing to me. I shake my head in disagreement until I hear Liam’s voice talking loud coming from the living room, and I get more curious…

“Babe, I’m sorry. It’s just Zayn is—He-hello?” Liam says. I could feel the panic in his voice. “Babe, are you still there?”

Although it is not my intention to put distance between him and his girlfriend, it's not really my fault. I am just telling the truth that Niall eats a lot. I’m just stating a fact; I guess some people are just too sensitive.

*****

A couple of days has passed, and the situation gets even worse. Niall completely ignores me as if I am just a waste of space. My infuriation multiplies a hundred times. Every time that I would try to tease or mock her, she would put a noise-cancelling headphones to not hear my insults. There are multiple times that I would snap my finger close to her face, and yet I didn’t get any response from her. My face would turn red from irritation from not getting any attention from her.

“Give it up, man,” Liam teases, chuckling. He is sitting next to Sophia, who is mimicking her boyfriend’s actions. Somehow, Sophia and I made up, I don’t know how but it is.

“Hmmmph!” I growled.

But what ticks me off is when Sophia say something at Niall, the blonde completely acknowledges her presence. How is that even fucking possible? My voice is louder than Sophia, and yet she can hear her but not me! What is happening to the world?

“Let’s freshen up,” Sophia says.

“Okay,” Niall answers, pulling the headphones away from her ears, glancing from Sophia then smiles back at Liam.

But when the two girls are out of our usual table, I could feel my face burning up from rage. Then, I hear Liam snickering beside me.

“What?!” I snap.

“Nothing,” Liam is still snickering away. “I told you, you messed up big time. There’s no way that Niall would ever talk to you again.”

“I don’t even care,” I reply but deep inside I know that it bugs the hell out of me when Niall treats me as an unseen entity.

“Are you sure?” Liam asks, noticing that he is narrowing his eyes altogether as if he is looking for something in the distance.

“Of course, I’m sure. Why would I care if Niall doesn't wanna talk to me? That’s fine with me.” Those words keep escaping from my mouth, trying to convince myself that’s what I feel at the moment.

“Oh look…” Liam says, attracting my attention. “Niall is talking to a good looking guy.”

It didn’t even take a second until my body goes automatic, kicking the chair as my posture stand tall looking for Niall. My neck stretches out as my eyes searched frantically in a crowd, trying to find the blonde. My neck starts to hurt after a minute or so until I hear Liam chuckling next to me then I realize…

“You son of a—”

“You are so screwed, Zayn,” Liam chuckles, shaking his head off. “You are so busted.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, pretending that I don’t understand what Liam is talking about.

Liam sighs and says, “You know, Zayn… Love is like farting, the more you suppress it, the more it will stink the moment it comes out.”

Those words… I don’t know if I should laugh or take it solemnly but knowing Liam, he is probably serious about it, but the analogy behind his statement is too hard not to laugh at it.

“What are you talking about, Liam?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him. “Love and myself don’t go along in the same sentence. Besides, there is no way I’m going to fall in love with the likes of Niall.”

*****

It has been days since those words Liam left me, plaguing my mind. Ever since then, I couldn’t stop thinking about Niall—every second, every minute, and every hour of my life. What the hell is happening to me? Why am I getting heart palpitations whenever she is around me? My tongue gets extremely dry, my hands are getting clammy, and my stomach feels like filled with a million butterflies. There is definitely something wrong with me.

I need to see a medical doctor right away. This is not normal anymore.

“Are you alright?” I snap away from my distracting thoughts when I hear Liam looking at me with a worried look. I had to force myself to swallow a big lump of saliva before giving Liam an awkward smile.

“Ah, yes…” I respond. “Just worried about the midterms. That’s all…” I don’t even know if that lie is good enough to deceive him. Hopefully, it is…

“Oh okay then. I’ll see you at home, I’ll just go with Sophia. She needs my help for her midterm project.”

“Sure thing,” I answer then I take my usual route to the loft, but as soon as I'm getting nearer to the parking lot, I see something familiar…

“Let go of me!” I recognize the voice—a very familiar voice. The curiosity gets the best of me so I take more couple of steps until I can see clearly who it is. Goddamn, it’s Niall!

“No means no! Don’t you get it?”

“Oh come on, just one date.”

“I said no!” Niall insists. “I don’t like arrogant and cocky boys like you!”

My eyes witness how the jerk manhandling Niall, pulling her closer to him. The sight of that puts a bad taste in my mouth. Niall tries to pull away from the boy, but she is being overpowered until she drops her purse on the concrete floor, scattering the contents of it.

Before I realize, my body moves on its own until I am close to them as I let out a roaring voice.

“Get your filthy hands off of my _girlfriend_!”

Both of them are startled most especially, Niall. Then, there is this voice screaming in my head saying, ‘You’d screwed up big time, dude!’ Fuck! What the hell am I doing!

“You told me you’re single?” The boy glares at Niall, gripping tightly on her arms. Niall instantly lets out a yelp, fueling the rage brewing up inside of me. Without any notice, I grab the boy by the collar of his shirt as I stare him to death.

“What did I just tell you?!”

The douche backs off immediately, walking away from us with a glare from his eyes. Yeah, keep staring… That’s all you’re going to have. And when I turn around, I see Niall picking up the contents of his purse from the concrete floor, and for some weird reason, my ears are picking up words that I shouldn’t be hearing.

I hear Niall mumbling _Kiss Me_.

I blink twice, wondering if I listen to the phrase correctly. Within seconds, I hear it again. Definitely, I’m not imagining things.

Maybe…

Maybe… this is how she feels about me, most especially that I rescue her from a disaster. My heart starts beating fast again as I stare at her on the concrete floor, trying to get herself up. Gathering all the courage I have as I step closer to her. And when we are standing face to face each other, she looks like a bit startled but I push that thought aside as I place my hands on both of her cheeks as I close the distance between us.

It didn’t take that much time until I realize something…

That Niall has the most luscious and softest lips I’ve ever kiss in my entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did this chapter meet your satisfaction? I hope it does! I'll be working on the next chapter soon right after my exams. So, let me know what you guys think.


	4. Toughie But Softie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new update! I apologize in advance because this update is a little bit short for the reason that I'm dealing with something for the past week or so. My 12-year-old Saint Bernard pass away last Monday, so I'm a little bit of grieving phase.
> 
> I'm gonna try my best to do the best of my ability to not let this tragedy affect my writing and updating. That's all for now and hope you enjoy this chapter.

** NIALL POV **

“Get your filthy hands off of my girlfriend!” My head slowly turns to where the roaring voice comes from, feeling every hard thump of my chest. My icy, blue eyes want to pop out of its socket as soon as I recognize who the voice belongs to. It’s none other than my tormentor, Zayn Malik.

The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily as his golden amber eyes glare down the boy to the death. If looks could kill, that douche boy is a goner by now. That’s how intense his eyes are. Even myself gets spooked by his presence.

Questions and more questions fill my confused brain. What on earth Zayn doing in here and why is he screaming his lungs out at the boy who is persistent on taking me out on a date. All my thoughts are temporarily on hold when I feel the boy gripping my arms too tightly that it made me yelp in agony.

“What did I just tell you?!” Another roaring voice escapes from Zayn, showing his aggressive side which is a little bit turn on for me. Then the boy backs off and disappears from my sight.

Somehow, I feel like I lose my contact lens in that intense moment, and now I’m crawling on the floor, trying to keep all my stuff together. I definitely need my keys to get back to my room.

“Keys me…” I mumbled with my narrowed eyes, straining every light on the surroundings, as my hands are feeling the entire floor, hoping that I would find my damn keys. I tried calling for it a couple of times, and when I did, I am relieved. My heart skips a beat when I get up with Zayn is very close to me to the point that he is invading my personal space.

His warm breath grazes my pale, white cheeks, as those golden amber eyes captivate me with this hidden power that paralyzes me on the spot. I thought I stop breathing for a second as I feel his hypnotic gaze on me.

By the time I snap out of it is too late because he did something that is unbelievable. He places his hands on both of my cheeks, leans in and gives me the most unforgettable kiss I’ve ever have in my entire life.

It takes me a couple of seconds to realize what is happening then I push him back as I glare him intensely.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” I growl, wiping my lips with the back of my hand. Somehow, I feel violated and disgusted at the same time. I’m sure this is just his tactic to confuse me further. I know how guys like Zayn works. Maybe this is his payback for me ignoring him ever since the incident with Louis.

“Yo-you said… kiss you…”

“What are you talking about?” I try my best to keep my composure intact and being alert just in case he decides to go for another one. And if he does, I will definitely smash my knee towards his _family jewels_ if you know what I mean…

(Author’s Note: I hope you do know what _family jewels_ mean…)

“I’m pre-pretty sure yo-you sa-said to k-kiss you…” His entire face is blushing, noticing the red circular marks on his cheeks, avoiding eye contact with me. His fingers start to knot on one another as if he is constipated.

It is cute to see Zayn in this condition, I will definitely use this towards to my favor after his perverted action, then I realize what he is saying…

“Oh, you mean, _my keys_?” I dangle the metallic keys on a key ring in front of him to embarrass and humiliate him. Besides, it’s my turn to return the favor to him. “Ugh! You are so stupid and deaf.”

“I’m not—”

“You’re not what?!” I widen my eyes to taunt him, and it seems to be working because he folds instantly like a poor, soaked puppy.

“I’m sorry…”

“What?” Raising my voice clearly but I heard it the first time. I just want him to repeat his apology to me. Deep inside I am laughing. This whole revenge thing suits me well.

“I said I’m sorry! Okay, are you satisfied now?!”

“Then, why are you raising your voice at me?”

As soon I see the guilty in his eyes, I am starting to feel bad. Seeing Zayn like this gives some relief, who would know that a guy like him is capable of feeling such guilt. I guess he has a heart.

“I’m not…”

“Fine.” I still project the annoyed-slash-irritated face because I don’t want him to revert to his old ways. But for now, I will let this pass.

*****

** ZAYN POV **

By the time I got to the loft, my entire being is exhausted in an extreme level. Seeing Niall being angry is a little bit turn on for me. The way she waves her hands to express herself, the way those icy, blue eyes reflects her entire being. It feels like whatever I do, I can’t escape her. But at the same time, I get a little scared. In all reality, I’m afraid that she will punch me for real.

I almost jump from the shock when I hear a voice coming behind me.

“Geez!” I shrieked, placing my hand over my chest, trying to calm myself from the sudden jolt. “It’s only you, Liam. What are you doing?”

“I should ask you the same question,” Liam says. “Why are you staring at our lights?” He looks up, pointing the white fluorescent light on the ceiling.

“I’m not.” Okay, that is a lie. I am indeed staring at the lights, not because there is something wrong with it. It’s just my mind is pre-occupied by something, scratch that, by _someone_.

The cushion next to me is pressed down when I feel Liam sits next to me. I get a little bit anxious when Liam looks at me with a knowing look, narrowing his eyes altogether.

“Is this about Niall?”

_Bullseye!_

Suddenly, I feel my throat is closing up, my chest is being pounded hard by my heart. My mouth is drying up instantly.

“Eh…”

“Eh?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Liam,” I scoff, rolling my eyes out to add more effect. “I told you I really don’t care about Niall.”

_Lies. Lies. Lies._

“Okay fine,” Liam says, surrendering his hands in the air as he stands up. Before he leaves the living room, he takes one more glance, and the words that come out of him irks me.

“Just a piece of advice, Zayn,” he says. “Niall is a _special_ kind of girl, and she is definitely off-limits to guys like you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are progressing, isn't it? :) Let me know what you think about this chapter.


	5. Unintentional Eavesdropping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update is a little bit longer than the previous one. I don't know what came over me to write it like that. But I feel like this is a filler chapter but there are still good moments, and I hope you would like that, so enjoy!

** ZAYN POV **

Those words Liam left bothers me a lot more than it should. It has been several hours since then, but I still can’t get it out of my mind. It is still questionable to me when he said that Niall is off-limits to guys like me? I couldn’t help but feel offended by that.

Sleep is not coming onto me and no matter what sleeping position I do; I just can’t fall asleep. That threat seems like there’s more to it than Liam is telling me. For the past few weeks, I've gotten to know the guy, but I’ve never seen him give threats like unless he really means it. I know for a fact that Liam, Sophia, and Niall has been friends for a very long time so maybe he knows something about Niall that I don’t. Maybe Niall goes through a very traumatic experience that Liam has to act her big brother or something…

I didn't realize the hours I spent on thinking about it, not until I see the sun rays peeking through my windows. And when I see the wall clock, my eyes almost pop out of its socket, seeing that it's already six o'clock in the morning.

Crap! I forgot that I have an early morning class, and I have to get ready. For the moment, I postpone obsessing the mystery behind Niall and Liam’s threat, and focus more on studies.

“Good morning!” Liam greets me with a big smile on him as I approach him in the dining table. As usual, he has this checkered long sleeves paired with blue denim pants. His hair is styled like he normally would, with gel, of course, like me. There is something about his smile that makes me wary.

“Good morning,” I greeted back, trying to smile back at him. Still, the threat he gives me last night still playing in my head. “So…”

“So…”

“Got a good night sleep?” I ask.

“Of course.  How about you?” He asks, giving me a full plate of breakfast: toasted bread with sunny side up fried egg.

“Uh… good…”

“You sure?” He narrows his eyes altogether, staring at me with an inquisitive look. “I think you didn’t sleep well last night. You have a pair of dark eye bags.”

“Nope, this is just how my eye looks,” I lie, of course. I didn’t want him to think that I’m up all night thinking about Niall and the deathly threats toward me. But I try my best to gather all courage I could find and dare myself to ask the question.

“So… Liam…”

“Yes?”

“What did you mean when you said that Niall is off-limits to guys like me?” Liam puts down his fork on his plate and once again he has that interrogating look in his eye. I’ve never seen him with that expression before, not until last night.

“Zayn, I will say this with the nicest possible way…” He starts, getting comfortable with our wooden dining chair. “Niall is no ordinary girl.”

No ordinary girl? What’s that supposed to mean?

“Oh, you mean like she’s not an easy type of girl?” I ask.

“Yes!” He exclaims, putting his arm in the air to add effect to his statement. I don’t know if I should laugh at him for making this conversation a little bit comical in a sense. “And—”

Then, all of a sudden, his phone starts ringing that makes me want to scream and shout for interrupting my information gathering towards Niall.

“Oh, Hi, Babe…” Liam giggles. And at that moment, I know who is he talking to. “Of course, that would be lovely. Weekend at the beach sounds superb to me. We can relax and enjoy for two whole days. Oh okay, I’m gonna ask him,” Liam says, putting his hand over the mouthpiece of his phone then looks at me.

“Zayn, you free on the weekend?”

“Huh? I don’t know. Why?”

“Sophia wants to go to the beach,” Liam grins. His mind is probably filled with ideas on how to make his moves on his girlfriend, which I found very inappropriate. Oh, God! I hope they won’t do it in an open space. With that thought hovers in my mind, it is better not to join with them.

“I really don’t want to be a third wheel.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Zayn,” he rolls his eyes out at me. “Her friends will be there too.”

Her friends? Those two words make my heart beats harder. Since Niall is Sophia’s friend, does that mean she’s going to be there as well? I didn’t even realize that a smile is spreading across my face, my cheeks are turning pink, not until I hear Liam intentionally clearing his throat.

“What?” I ask nonchalantly, pretending that I don’t know whatever he’s thinking right now.

“Yeah, whatever,” Liam dismisses me, speaking again on his girlfriend.

Although there are still two more days until the weekend, I couldn’t contain the excitement and happiness I’m feeling right now. Weeks ago, Niall was just an annoying girl for me but recently, she’s turning into something else that I didn’t expect. She changes my life forever!

*****

After my last exam on Friday, I decided to go to the mall to get something to wear decent for tomorrow’s special event. I want to buy something that will catch her attention. Would I dare to wear a speedo swimwear? I could imagine her eyeing _the package_ …

I catch myself laughing which attracts the people surrounding me, giving me a weird look. With that embarrassment showing on my pink cheeks, I decide to ignore them. They don’t know who I am!

So after browsing for gazillion swim trunks, I still couldn’t find the right one to catch Niall’s attention tomorrow. That question is postponed when I hear a familiar girly voice near me and I couldn’t help but hide in a tall rack of clothes to investigate.

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun, Niall!” Sophia cheers, grasping her hands together. She tries to convince for Niall to agree with her, whatever that is.

“I don’t feel like to—”

“Please! Please! Please!” Sophia begs, not wanting her best friend to disagree with her. “Besides, there are hot guys in swimming trunks there, who knows you might find _‘the one.’_ ”

At that moment, I don’t like where the conversation is heading. I don’t want Niall finding the one. Actually, I’m **_THE ONE_** for her, and nobody else. I didn’t even realize that my fists were grappling tightly on clothing rack in front of me.

“Soph, I’m not really—”

“Wait, are you thinking of Zayn?”

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

Just hearing my name change my mood in an instant. I slowly push my head towards the clothes but still hidden from any wandering customers. I want to know what Niall is going to say. It is critical as if like a matter of life and death for me.

“Zayn?” Niall asks, her pale, white cheeks turn pink right away. She moves her gaze away from Sophia, and that is a foretelling sign that she must be thinking of me.

“Is this because of the kiss?”

I catch myself blushing as well, my heart thumping so hard in my chest, getting anxious with what Niall going to say.

“Well…” Niall paused, trying to find the right words to say. “I don’t know…”

Damn! That’s not what I want to hear from her. I want to know if I have a chance with her.

“You don’t know? What do you mean?”

“One minute he is this cocky, arrogant person…” I sigh, hearing it from her. Of course, that’s what she thinks of me! “Then another, he is this fragile person that might break in an instant. I don’t know, he is so weird…”

Weird? I’m gonna show you who’s weird then… But I change my mind right away, I couldn’t afford for them finding out that I’m eavesdropping on their conversation. I really needed Niall to think of me in a new light possible—someone that she can be proud of to call as her boyfriend.

“But weird is the trend nowadays.”

“Really?” Niall chuckles. “Since when do you become the trendsetter when it comes to boyfriend.”

“If you must know, I have a weird boyfriend,” Sophia grins, defending the honor of her beloved boyfriend. “Besides, they stand out from the rest.”

“I don’t know, Soph…” Niall says. “I’m still upset with him for chasing out Louis. Louis doesn’t even wanna talk to me anymore. Every time he sees me, he turns and walks in the opposite direction as if I have a communicable disease.”

“Oh, yeah… that…”

I curse myself, realizing what they are saying. If only I could turn back time, I would probably change my interaction with that Louis guy. But at the same, it made me think that if I’m kind to Louis, then they’ll probably end up together which is the last thing I want to happen, so I guess I shouldn’t regret my choices.

“He is so arrogant, cocky, entitled, narcissist, egomaniacal. He has every quality that I don’t like in a guy. So, me and Zayn are not compatible at all…”

I’m going to be honest here but hearing those assessments from Niall makes me sad, real sad. Although, she is telling the truth, but it still hurts deep inside.

“So you really don’t like him at all?”

“Well…” The hesitancy in her voice somehow rejuvenates me at least. Of course, she likes me even for a little bit, I hope.

“I wouldn’t call it like that,” she finishes, but the doubt in her voice is still there. I can feel it in my gut that there is something that she’s not telling. I want to know whatever that is.

“With all his unattractive qualities aside, what do you like about Zayn?”

Somehow, I feel like my ears are multiplying in size like those in cartoons where the ears are pulsing and enlarging by the second.

“Hmmm…”

“Hmmm?”

“I don’t know, Soph…”

“You don’t know? What are you blind?” Sophia scolds her friend. “Please tell me that you see how gorgeous and attractive Zayn is. He looks like a freaking supermodel!”

That compliment about my looks makes me smile. I guess my displeasing personality balances with my physical looks.

“Yeah, that’s the thing, Soph. He’s too good looking…” I gasp. Since when being attractive becomes a bad thing. “He attracts too much attention. I really don’t want to compete for his attention.”

“So you do like him,” Sophia teases.

“What? No!” Niall answers immediately. “I’m just saying that his looks and charms are too noticeable. He stands out too much.”

“Isn’t that what you like?”

“Yeah but—”

“Just admit it, Niall. Even with his displeasing personality, you are still drawn to him like a moth to a flame.”

“That’s not true at all,” Niall shakes her to disagree with her friend, but there’s something about her body expression as if she is trying hard to convince Sophia that she is telling the truth.

“Sure, sure,” Sophia nods her head as a sarcastic response to her friend. “If I were you, I’d get my hands on that guy before someone else beats me to it.”

“Sophia!” Niall gasps, and for me, I couldn’t help but to chuckle. I shouldn’t do that because I didn’t realize that my leaning towards the clothing rack that it ends falling on the floor along me with it. And unfortunately, it creates too much attention, including from Sophia and Niall looking at me with a wide eye look.

“Hi girls…” I chuckle, scratching the back of my neck, as I pretend that I did not hear their conversation from the start to the end. “What’s up?”

“What are you doing here?” Niall asks. Her icy, blue eyes are staring at me like I’m being cross-examined in a courtroom. Of course, I couldn’t exactly tell her what I’m doing but hey it’s an accident how I end up in this situation. I am really looking for a good pair of swimming trunks to wear for the beach. How on earth would I know that both of them would end up in the same place as I do? Technically, I didn’t stalk her purposely. Maybe the fate is doing its way for our paths to cross together.

“I… uh…”

“Zayn is probably shopping for the beach event, right?” Sophia asks.

“Yeah… uhuh…” I respond, saving myself from the sudden interrogation. I don’t want Niall to think that I’m stalking her. “Liam is adamant that I should go.”

“Great! All the more reason for Niall to go to the beach,” Sophia claps her hands together, not subtle to show her excitement. Then, she purposefully sighs as if she is hinting me at something and I realize what she is planning as I see her winking at me. “Oh, man… I forgot that I have to take care of something.” Sophia faces me as she says her not-so-subtle request. “Zayn, could you help Niall to pick something to wear to the beach and make sure to drop her off at the house.”

I try my best not to laugh at her. Apparently, she wants me to end up with her friend, which I’m not opposed to. Actually, I am looking forward to it.

“What?! Sophia!” Niall gasps, then she whispers to Sophia. “You can’t exactly leave me with him…”

“Oh come on…” Sophia whispers back. “Zayn is not a serial killer nor an ax murderer. I’m sure you are safe with him.” Then, she starts walking away from us, waving her hand.

“Sophia! I’m warning you…”  It is pointless to whine and cry since Sophia is nowhere to be found, and Niall slowly turns around, facing me with an unreadable expression. “You don’t have to come with me. I’m sure you have better things to do.” Her voice is cold and detaches from any emotions. I’m sure it’s a defense mechanism on her part.

“It’s fine, really,” I answer nonchalantly, trying my best not to scream and shout in excitement as I get an alone time with Niall. I’d better make sure to every single second count. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“Okay fine, if you say so…” She says watching her to walk forward and I couldn’t help my eyes to focus on her behind that seems like very firm to me. Instantly, my mind is filled with inappropriate thoughts that puts a grin on my face. What can I say, I’m a guy!

“Stop staring at my ass, Zayn…”

 

 


End file.
